A place in this world
by justlumos
Summary: Ron leaves Harry and Hermione, but regrets it the minute he steps outside the force field...
1. Chapter 1

She watched mountain by mountain pass by. On the evening light, the rocky mountaintops looked reddish and orange, which reminded her to him, his hair ginger, his face turned a slight shade of orange by his freckles. She took out her picture book with melancholy. When will she see him again? Will she?

Night fell over her. Who knows, maybe it fell over him too. Maybe it didn't, yet. They were too far apart to even tell.  
The head light turned on in the wooden walled train compartment. She whispered something and the small blue light coming from her bag got fainter and fainter until it was gone. Even magic reminded her to him.  
She opened her eyes and saw broad daylight ahead, behind the tent roof. She was relieved. It was all a dream: she hated the dreams in which she traveled not knowing where.  
She looked right: Harry was gone. Probably standing guard in front of the tent.  
Hermione didn't dare look left. She knew all she'd see was an empty bunk. She wondered, for how long?  
Tears rolled down along her cheek to the beat of her thoughts. Was he okay? Were Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Arthur? Fred and George? Heck, she was even worried about Percy.  
Several minutes passes by, maybe even a whole hour, with Hermione's cheeks being sprayed by her salty, powerful teardrops.  
"It's my turn," she thought, looking at the small pocket watch on Harry's jacket pocket, which was hanging from his bed post. Slowly, she got up and grabbed her wand and a handkerchief. She had been crying for at least a week now. She decided to take a book too, so she grabbed "Hogwarts: a History", but it also reminded her to him. She threw it over Harry's bed, which startled him and made him walk into the tent to find Hermione awake. Without a single word, she nodded to him and snatched the nearest book. He opened his mouth to say good morning, but before a sound came out of it Hermione was out the door and behind their safe power field.  
She put down her embroidered bag and sat down. "Crack", she heard faintly. Oh no, Harry's wand. She didn't want to tell him. Didn't want to upset him more.  
As she picked up the wand, Harry stepped out the tent. She put away the broken pieces of wood quickly, but didn't work. Harry saw the mangled thing anyway.  
"What was that, Hermione?" he asked, a strange look on his face. "No- nothing, Harry. You don't have to worry."  
But Harry did worry.  
"Hermione, I saw it."  
"Now please, Harry, don't be mad. Please. I- I didn't mean to-" she handed the remains of the wand to Harry.  
Harry looked... What was that? He looked WHAT? Hermione braced herself for the screaming. But it didn't happen.  
"Does not matter. Now give me yours." said Harry seriously. And then walked away, leaving Hermione paralyzed with confusion.  
She whispered something that sounded sort of like "Oh, Ron, you'd understand-" and then started sobbing. Again.  
A hungry Hermione took out a can of peas and started eating them.  
It all turned darker. Five, six on the afternoon. Harry had left at eleven on the morning. What the hell was he doing?  
Despite herself, Hermione took "Hogwarts: a History" out of her bag and started reading. And trying not to cry.  
A weird voice came faintly from the near forest. Hermione turned around for her wand- oh, she had given it to Harry. Crap.  
What- what was that strange flashing through the dark, coming from the forest? Was it really what she thought it was? Did it just flash silver and red?  
She stood up carefully, not wanting to make much noise.  
Then, Harry walked out of the forest followed by Ron Weasley. The first one was holding a dead Horcrux locket. And the latter was holding Godric Gryffindor's silver sword, embroidered with red gems.


	2. Chapter 2

When he came close enough to enter the force field, Harry let him in. Taking one more step forward in Hermione's direction, he said "Hey", with a goofy smile on his face. As if trying to say something else.

Hermione came a little closer to him. She opened her mouth in a surprised A, as if to welcome the ginger back. But she raised her bag instead.  
"YOU- COMPLETE- ARSE, RONALD WEASLEY! YOU LEAVE ME FOR TWO WEEKS CRYING ALONE IN THIS HELL AND YOU GO BE HAPPY WITH YOUR MOMMY!" she shouted, throwing bag punches while speaking.  
"Whoa, WHOA, wait, Hermione! Do you really think I went back home? You think I would really tell them what I did to you? Mum would never let me out the house again, and Fred and George would remember it to me until I die of desperation! I went to Bill and Flegg- I mean Fleur's on the beachside. They would never judge me."  
"When did you decide to come back? How did you find us? Where did you find Harry?" Hermione stormed questions at Ron in an annoyed, cocky tone.  
"Bill gave me this, with the condition of not showing anyone." he held out a sun clock. "Bill had told me what to do. So I spinned the indicator" -he pointed to the big blueish triangle on the center of the clock- "and it lifted me off the ground and started to spin me around, like a Portkey. But it took me to some sort of a limbo room, all surrounded by a blue light- it seemed to have no end. I started to get nervous, so I sat down on the floor. I don't even know if it was a floor. Anyway, I sat down on whatever that thing was and took out the clock. I started to stare at it" -he showed them the intricate patterns carved onto its sides- "it read 'to perseverate'. I got up and kept walking. I think it was a day or two I walked, drinking from the canteens of pumpkin juice and the sandwiches Fleur made me. I even slept on the nothingness. On the third morning, after I ate my last sandwich, everything started to turn lighter and lighter and snow formed. I suddenly saw a bright skyblue light, so I followed it-" but he was cut off by Harry. "And here's when I start to explain. That light was a Patronus. A doe Patronus. I do not know who cast it, the only thing I know is it led me to a clearing with a frozen lake. I saw a sparkle on the bottom, which reflected the doe's light- it was this" he said, lifting the sword "-so I cracked the ice and got in. I realize I didn't give it a second thought as I should have, because I dived in clothed and with the Horcrux hanging from my neck. But something made the ice close over me as I grabbed the sword by its handle, and I couldn't breathe, and thought It was my ending, when I saw the ice break and felt something grabbing me just as I was about to pass out. When I open my eyes again, there was Ron, holding the sword and the mangled locket. Seems like I was out for several minutes."  
And then they walked here. Everything was so clear to Hermione now. What could she do? She threw her arms around both of the soaking guys and hugged them while a tear rolled down her right cheek. She put a special grip on Ron's left shoulder, like she never wanted to lose him again.  
Harry broke slowly apart from the group hug as he felt Hermione was letting go of him. Slowly, Ron threw both arms around Hermione's neck and pressed his lips against hers.  
What started as a soft, gentle kiss, turned out to be fierce and rebellious. But always gentle. Made Hermione's insides purr. They stood like that for a few minutes, and when they slowly broke apart, they kept staring deeply into each other's eyes.  
And that's when she knew. No matter how far apart they were, no matter where in the world, her place in the world would always be the spot next to him. Whichever mission they had to go through, no matter how tough and hard, they would be able to. Together.


End file.
